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March / April 2025 Issue: Linked Articles Only
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seasons hospice earns 5-Star medicare quality rating
Seasons Hospice recently earned the highest rating hospice organizations can attain—5-Stars—on the Medicare Care Compare website. This prestigious rating is bestowed only upon agencies that provide the highest positive patient experience and highest quality care as measured by the patient and caregiver experience. Within the 8 counties we serve, Seasons Hospice is proud to be among the very few and highly selective group of hospices with a 5-star rating.
The 5-Star rating is based upon the Family Caregiver Survey, which asks loved ones about the patient’s care, and if they would recommend the hospice to someone else. 95% of all respondents shared they would recommend Seasons Hospice to others, which is 10 points higher than the Minnesota average and 11% higher than the National average.
Seasons Hospice was also cited as above Minnesota and National averages in all other survey categories: communication with family, getting timely help, treating the patient with respect, emotional and spiritual support, help for pain and symptoms, training family to care for patient, and overall rating.
Kristina Wright-Peterson, Executive Director of Seasons Hospice, credits the team of people behind the work and the organization’s long-standing commitment to high quality end-of-life care. “Everyone in our agency, regardless of their job title, plays a critical role in our patient and caregiver experience. Our vision of adding quality of life to each day is expressed every day in the work that we are so honored and privileged to do.”
MEET THE STAFF
This year, we’re excited to give you an inside look at the incredible team behind our hospice care. Each issue of Connections will introduce you to different groups within our staff, showcasing the compassionate individuals who make a difference every day. Today, we offer you a synopsis of a recent interview with our Hospice House staff.
Our Seasons Hospice House is only one of 15 residential hospice houses in Minnesota, including the Homestead Hospice House in Owatonna that Seasons hopes to re-open later this year. Residential hospice care is different from most other hospice care. The Seasons Hospice House offers around the clock nursing care in a lovely home with 8 private patient rooms on beautifully landscaped grounds that welcome many wildlife visitors.
Teamwork
To care for those in our eight-bed facility, we have a staff of nearly 30 full and part-time highly trained and dedicated individuals, including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, trained medical assistants, as well as a cook and housekeeper. It is a close-knit team that looks upon the job as an honor to provide comfort to patients at the end of their life.
Each “care team shift” truly works as a team, supporting one another and treating each other like family. Staff form genuine bonds with their patients and when patients pass, staff often take the grief home with them. Seasons has various wellness offerings that help staff maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Patients at the House also receive care from many of our home care providers, including our medical director, nurse practitioner, social workers, chaplains, music therapists, massage therapists, as well as volunteers, including pet therapy teams. Pets (leashed and vaccinated) are welcomed and encouraged to visit. We’ve had birds, cats, dogs, and even a mini horse visit our Hospice House.
Complex Patients and Crisis Situations
Staff are very proud of the fact that we do not turn away patients if they have high acuity, which refers to patients with complex medical conditions requiring intensive and frequent monitoring, treatment, and intervention. The average staff to patient ratio is generally better than at a hospital. When standard regimens are not effective and a critical situation occurs, our staff can request periods of General In-Patient (GIP) Care that offer 1:1 nursing care until symptoms are managed and the patient is comfortable. Documentation and charting occur every 15-20 minutes. Approval by our medical director or nurse practitioner are needed to start and stop GIP Care. (A similar practice is available to home care patients as well.)
Taking Care of Patient Families
Our staff also try to take care of family members who often congregate for long bedside vigils. In addition to a visitor bedroom with two twin beds, staff also allow loved ones to sleep on recliners in patient rooms or on a twin blow-up mattress so that loved ones can stay close.
It is very important to staff that patients and family feel at home and comfortable in the House and that any personal requests are met. Everyone at the House rallies to meet a request and if they can accommodate it, they will, especially on the day of admission, which can be stressful.
The House has been host to many family events over the years, including chili cookoffs, anniversary and birthday parties, and even weddings. Some families will return later to visit staff and donate supplies for other patients in need. Recently, one family brought games, lip balm, books, blankets, puzzles, socks, and gift cards (gift cards are often used to get food for families who stay all day and throughout the night).
The House also has many volunteers, most of whom have a tie to someone who has passed there, which is a beautiful testament to the care they receive.
Dignity Blanket
After passing, while in their final moments at the House when family and staff say their goodbyes and their body is transferred, staff will (with the family’s permission) cover a patient in one of two “dignity blankets” which at Seasons are large custom quilts made for just this purpose. These shrouds provide a dignified and comforting farewell.
Respite Care
Seasons Hospice House also offers respite care. For every hospice patient, Medicare covers 5 days of respite care per month in a Medicare-approved facility. Seasons Hospice has contracts with Mayo Hospice and St. Croix Hospice to offer respite care for their patients, as well for patients of Seasons Hospice.
In speaking with the staff, it was abundantly clear that they love what they do
and put their whole hearts into the work they do every day. We are so grateful for them.
LEADERSHIP TRANSITION
In June our Executive Director Kristina Wright-Peterson will become the next Executive Director of the Minnesota Network of Hospice and Palliative Care (MNHPC). We welcome you to join us on May 7 to celebrate her many accomplishments at Seasons, and to wish her every success as she represents and stands up for quality hospice and palliative care at the state level!
“The Best is Yet to Come” Celebration!
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Open House: 4-7 p.m.
Sorellina’s Restaurant
1155 16th Street SW Rochester
MNHPC serves as the leading voice for hospice and palliative care providers across Minnesota, advocating for high-quality, compassionate end-of-life care. Notably, Ms. Wright-Peterson will be the first MNHPC Executive Director with direct experience as a hospice provider—a milestone that underscores the importance of practitioner-led leadership in shaping the future of hospice care.
“Seasons Hospice will always hold a special place in my heart,” said Ms. Wright-Peterson. “Even more importantly, it will serve as the benchmark for the high-quality end-of-life care that should be accessible to everyone in our great state.”
Seasons Hospice expresses deep gratitude for Ms. Wright-Peterson’s outstanding leadership. While we will miss her dedication and expertise, we recognize the importance of having strong, experienced leadership at the state level to advance hospice and palliative care for all Minnesotans. Thanks to the strength of our leadership team, Seasons Hospice remains committed to continuing the exceptional care for which we are known.
During her tenure, Ms. Wright-Peterson successfully navigated workforce and funding challenges, expanded services to rural communities—including Owatonna and Blooming Prairie—and fostered partnerships with other hospice providers to enhance respite care at the Seasons Hospice House. Her leadership has positioned Seasons Hospice to thrive well into the future. She will continue to serve as Executive Director through May 2025 and will continue her work with Seasons Hospice by serving as the lead in reopening the Homestead Hospice House in Owatonna.
In her new role at MNHPC, Ms. Wright-Peterson will advocate for hospice and palliative care providers, addressing increasing regulatory oversight and raising public awareness about the vital role these services play in Minnesotans’ lives. She is committed to securing the necessary resources and policies to strengthen and expand access to quality hospice and palliative care throughout the state and beyond.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Ms. Wright-Peterson and wish her every success in this exciting new endeavor.
DID YOU KNOW?
HOSPICE FACTS & FIGURES
The Alliance for Care at Home complies a wide range of data regarding the delivery of hospice care. The charts below represent just a small portion of the data. We hope to share more information in future issues of Connections.
For Hospice Cases (by primary diagnosis):
Dementia (and related): Alzheimer’s, nervous system disorders, organic psychosis.
Other: Respiratory disease; chronic airway obstruction, NOS; genitourinary disease, digestive disease, COVID-19, and others.
Source: 2024 Edition: Hospice Facts and Figures. Alexandria, VA: National Alliance for Care at Home.
NOTES FOR THE JOURNEY:
RESOURCES FOR THOSE NAVIGATING HOSPICE
We all need some self-care to see us through the journey of hospice and beyond. At our recent All Staff Meeting, Rosie Gaston, MSW, LICSW, APHSW-C shared some resources on Habits and Self Compassion and Gratitude Practices.
Rosie is a hospice social worker and also runs A Better Ending (www.abetterending.org), where she offers education and workshops, as well as individual counseling on advance care planning, logistic and psychosocial support, and education on the death and dying process and all that comes with it.
Self-care is a practice, and habits take time to develop. Small daily shifts create profound change over time. Find what works for you.
Habits and Self Compassion
Books
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Dr. Kristin Neff
Podcasts
The Mel Robbins Podcast—The #1 Habit to Change Your Life
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos—The Power of Self-Compassion
On Purpose with Jay Shetty—How to Build Habits That Last
Gratitude Practices
Research shows gratitude can reduce stress, symptoms of depression, and burnout while improving sleep and relationships (Emmons & McCullough, 2003; Digdon & Kobe, 2011).
Actions
Make it specific & consistent: Start or end your day with 3 things that you’re grateful for.
Get it out of your mind and on paper: Write it down in a notebook or in your phone notes.
Verbal practice: Share gratitude with a colleague, friend, or partner.
Books
The Gratitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan
The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: Give Thanks, Practice Positivity, Find Joy by Sophia Gokin, PhD
Podcast Episode
“The Science of Gratitude” (The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos)
